Electrical connector part

Abstract

An electrical connector consisting principally of a housing of synthetic material with a plurality of receiving chambers provided therein for receiving an associated electrical connector contact element. In at least one outer housing wall of the housing is located one orifice per receiving chamber, with a locking arm disposed therein, which is integrally formed as a single piece on this outer wall of the housing. In order for it to be possible with a single operating step to release both the primary and the secondary locking and therefore to remove the electrical connector contact elements quickly and easily from their receiving chambers, a return slope is integrally formed on the free end region of each of the locking arms. In the housing at least one further access point is provided per receiving chamber and leads from the mouth region of the housing. This access point extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the receiving chamber so that a tool inserted into the housing by way of the other access point displaces the locking arm from its locking position into its release position.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electrical connector part comprising: a housing (1);   at least one receiving chamber (3) defined within the housing for an electrical connector contact element (2);   an orifice (4) located in an outer wall of the housing in communication with the receiving chamber (3);   a locking arm (5) disposed within the orifice on the outer wall of the housing that can be brought from a release position to a locking position and which in the release position clears a cross-sectional area of the receiving chamber and in the locking position narrows the cross-sectional area thereof so that the electrical connector contact element located therein is held under secondary locking between an associated end stop of the receiving chamber and an associated free end of the locking arm;   two exposed resilient arms (6) being integrally formed on the connector contact element, which come to lie behind locking stops (7) formed on the walls of the receiving chamber, so that the electrical connector contact element located in the receiving chamber is thereby held under primary locking;   two access points (12) defined in the housing leading from a mouth region (13) thereof and extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the receiving chamber so that a tool (15) inserted into the housing through the two access points forces back the resilient arms of the connector contact element, thereby releasing the primary locking;   a return slope (11) formed on a free end region of the locking arm (5); and   at least one further access point (14) being provided into the receiving chamber (3) leading from the mouth region (13) of the housing and extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the receiving chamber (3) so that the tool (15) is inserted into the housing (1) via the two access points and the other access point (12), thus contacting the return slope (11) and by means of a continuing insertion movement displacing the locking arm (5) from its locking position into its release position.   
     
     
       2. An electrical connector part according to claim 1 wherein the other access point (14) is formed in a groove-like manner. 
     
     
       3. An electrical connector part according to claim 1 wherein that the other access point (14) is formed in a channel-like manner. 
     
     
       4. An electrical connector part according to claim 1 wherein the locking stops (7) are provided on two oppositely lying walls of the receiving chambers (3) and the orifice (4) provided with the locking arm (5) being defined within one of these two walls. 
     
     
       5. An electrical connector part according to claim 1 wherein a single locking arm (5) is allocated to each receiving chamber (3). 
     
     
       6. An electrical connector part according to claim 1 wherein a common locking arm (5) is allocated to two receiving chambers (3). 
     
     
       7. An electrical connector part according to claim 1 wherein the tool (15) which is to be inserted into the access points (12,14) of the housing (1) is formed as a fork so that during insertion two fork prongs (16) contact the two resilient arms (6) of the connector contact element and one fork prong (16) contacts the locking arm (5) of the housing (1).